Defenceman John Grisdale played parts of six NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks in the 70s. He was a competent positional player who could also move forward with the puck effectively.

Born in Geraldton, Ontario, Grisdale played junior B with the Dixie Beehives then spent four years at Michigan Tech University. In March, 1971 he was signed to a four-game minor league tryout contract by the Maple Leafs. After scoring a pair of goals and playing solid defence for the CHL's Tulsa Oilers, Grisdale played 59 games for the club the next season.

When the WHA raided the NHL of many players, Grisdale was given a chance to contribute in Toronto. He played fairly well in 49 games but returned to Tulsa in 1973-74 when the Leafs added rookies Borje Salming, Ian Turnbull and Bob Neely to the blueline. Grisdale started the next season in Toronto then was sent to the Vancouver Canucks along with Garry Monahan for Dave Dunn. He was a regular for nearly five years on the west coast though the team was rarely successful in the standings. Grisdale retired in 1979 after playing 250 career games.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

+/-

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

1966-67

Dixie Beehives

ON-Jr.B

1967-68

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

1968-69

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

30

7

7

14

45

1969-70

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

33

2

11

13

62

1970-71

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

31

2

23

25

61

1970-71

Tulsa Oilers

CHL

4

2

0

2

12

1971-72

Tulsa Oilers

CHL

59

0

15

15

105

13

1

3

4

23

1972-73

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

49

1

7

8

76

-22

1973-74

Tulsa Oilers

CHL

71

9

29

38

193

1974-75

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

2

0

0

0

4

0

1974-75

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

58

1

12

13

91

+3

5

0

1

1

13

1975-76

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

38

2

6

8

54

+4

2

0

0

0

0

1975-76

Tulsa Oilers

CHL

5

1

0

1

13

1976-77

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

20

0

2

2

20

-13

1976-77

Tulsa Oilers

CHL

47

2

23

25

132

9

2

4

6

11

1977-78

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

42

0

9

9

47

+2

1978-79

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

41

0

3

3

54

-23

3

0

0

0

2

1978-79

Dallas Black Hawks

CHL

4

1

0

1

4

NHL Totals

250

4

39

43

346

10

0

1

1

15

Signed as a free agent by Toronto (Tulsa-CHL) to four-game tryout contract, March, 1971. Traded to Vancouver by Toronto with Garry Monahan for Dave Dunn, October 16, 1974.